Monday, January 12, 2009

time well spent

Have you tried any of the Martha Stewart Collection available at Macy's? Well, it just so happens that she has a cast iron pot perfect for making winter meals. Perfect for making bread. And the perfect thing to use your gift card on from a Christmas gift.

I have seen a lot of bread floating around out there. Sarah made some. Erin made some. And Molly made one that I have been wanting to try. Molly even did it without a cast iron pot.

Since I have never tried this before, and really wanted it to turn out, I followed the directions to a T. And I treated it like a baby. Seriously.I slept with it next to our bed. Because the directions say to let it rise in a 70˚ room. Well, our downstairs is colder than that. (Much colder.) And since heat rises, I decided to bring it upstairs, with specific instructions to the kids not to jump on the dough.The dough has to sit for 12-18 hours. After that amount of time, you punch it down, form it into a ball, and it looks like that. Up there. (That whole timing thing always gets me. But, starting it at 4:00 on a Saturday afternoon, seemed to be great. I didn't touch it again until noon the next day. 20 hours? Oh, I know, but things happen and that was the earliest I could get back to it. It was ready for dinner on Sunday night. Seems like a long time to wait for a loaf of bread, huh? Really, you do little while waiting. I promise.)I resisted the urge to swaddle, and just folded the towel back over the top. And let it sit for 2 hours. Popped it into the pot and then into the oven. When I removed the lid it looked like that. Just like the recipe said it would. You should try it. You won't be sorry. Just sorry you didn't have more.

How funny! I just made this bread this weekend also. But I didn't baby mine AT ALL (well, I tried putting it in a "warmer" room, but our entire house is way too cold) and I just wanted to let you know that it turns out great even if your dough is a soggy mess. It really is a hardy recipe!

Well, we did get a couple of gift certificates and I've been dying to make an easy bread that wasn't just the yummy beer bread I learned about from Turkey Cookies, feeling as though I should really stretch to rise, if not knead. :) If all it takes is a cast iron pot, well, I'm there! The 70 degree thing could be a problem, at least right now, this January, even upstairs. But, it's so worth a try!

Thanks for the recipe and can't wait to see what you do for purple today!

I love that your determination to make the bread caused you to bring it upstairs with you :) It looks delicious and that photo of the pot is great. I am not sure that anywhere in my (very)old house would be 70* right now!

I made some of that bread too - yummy! Finding a 70 degree spot in our house - I think the only spot would be under my electric blanket at night! :) Love the pot. I didn't know they were at Macy's - it's going on my birthday list!

Yay!! That is such a beautiful loaf (and a beautiful blue!) I haven't tried it the dutch oven way, but my husband and I have been using the artisan bread in 5 min/day for about a month now and we love it. Having fresh bread at home has been such a treat!

My problem is that when I want bread, I want it NOW. Tomorrow, after all, is when a diet should be starting. But yours looks really, really good. I love Martha. I miss her online store, with all the fun crafty crap that I JUST HAD TO HAVE THIS INSTANT... and never seemed to be able to make look like her stuff. But I still miss it.

Oh I am so happy for your success. I am gluten intolerant but thought I just might be able to get a decent loaf with this recipe. I tried it a few months ago and the loaf was heavier than the cast iron pot! Awful. The whole family still talks about it.

Seeing loaves like yours makes me miss the gluten and that doesn't happen often for me. I'll have to enjoy it vicariously through you :-)

Oh Leslie. You just made a 20 hour wait and sleeping beside a ball of dough into something that must be attempted immediately. How do you do that? Must be your gorgeous pictures - I blame the pictures.

i have made that brad but i use my pot from ikea. it is an awesome loaf and an awesome bread, if i do say so. my poor oven is on the blink, so i cannot have the bread. unless i break into my neighbor's home and hijack their oven. i just might after seeing yours.

I love this bread recipe! It turns out fabulous every single time! I'm a so-so cook and baker, but I feel so amazed and proud of myself every time I make a loaf of this bread. I too was worried about the temp in my house being too cold (64 degrees at night) for it to turn out, but no worries it works great! As a special treat for the kids during step 3, I"ll "fold" pepperoni slices and pizza cheese into the dough, let it rise for the hour or so directed then bake. I serve it with pizza sauce and the loaf disappears. Another thing I've added during step 3, is a little container of flavored feta cheese crumbles. Say it with me....YUM! Have fun with it.

very interesting..but it does seem like something I would become a slave too. At one point I tried the Amish friendship bread and had to give it up because it was becoming less and less enjoyable even though the bread was always amazing. I think the breadmachine is as homemade as I can get right now. I'll just enjoy your pictures. :)

House on Hill Road said it! Artisan bread in 5 minutes a day is the ONLY way to make bread...I literally have a fresh loaf daily and never wait more than 40 minutes per loaf! Give the book a try it's fabulous.

And she's coming out with a new one this year with recipes for those with wheat allergies.

Thanks for the link. The current Eating Well magazine has an article about no knead breads written by someone who has a book out on the topic.

I have a true cast iron dutch oven (think dark metal that can rust when not dried properly)that came from my great grandmother's home. It is used more than any other pot or pan that I own. They are truly handy.

I love this bread. I've made it a few times, but my favorites are Chocolate Sour Cherry and Cheddar Cheese No Knead Bread. I'm terrible at kneading, so it's perfect for me. I just need to figure out the best time to start, because of the dual rising times.

Your bread turned out beautiful! (and so is that pot!!!)Is the Martha Stewart pot any cheaper than the Le Creuset line? Hmmm, off to investigate... I need really big pots, but cast iron gets heavy, so I might just need two pots... oh my...

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Daniel, yea I can see what you did there. I actually liked that part, but hehe I'm not that harsh like my dad with these things. He at all times tells me crazy stories again in the day and calls me a loser. I assume it's time I transfer out of my parents' basement LOL. Aaanyways, what about you? what does your dad assume xD" Anyway, in my language, there usually are not much good source like this.